I hope Sharon Slater is a Catholic because someday she will be a candidate for sainthood. She is truly an amazing woman. The following article is from Family Watch International‘s newsletter. Sharon is the president (and heart and soul) of the organization. www.familywatchinternational.org . The article speaks for itself.

Warning to Parents Around the World
About Planned Parenthood

Dear Friend,

Several recent events involving Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its parent organization, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), reminded me that not enough people fully understand the threat IPPF and its affiliates are to the natural family and family values. (For an excellent overview see Family Watch’s new policy brief here. If you read no further and just read this brief, it will be well worth your while.)

For example, a local school district committee where I live that is evaluating the current high school sex-ed curriculum recently invited a representative of Planned Parenthood of Arizona to give them advice.

As the saying goes, this is like having the fox guard the hen house.

Awareness is increasing that Planned Parenthood is first and foremost an abortion provider—the largest in the U.S.—and that they kill more than 330,000 babies each year.

However, many parents and policymakers do not know that IPPF and its affiliate organizations such as PPFA are among the most aggressive advocates of controversial comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), which might more aptly be called LGBT and abortion education. In fact, the group spends more than $40 million annually to try to persuade local school districts to adopt this harmful curriculum just as it was trying to do in our local school district.

You can find our policy brief that outlines the threats CSE poses to the health and development of children here. We have also posted a video presentation given at the UN by Dr. Miriam Grossman, an internationally respected critic of comprehensive sexuality education and especially the sexual rights approach advocated by Planned Parenthood. You can see the video here.

Disturbing evidence is mounting showing that the Planned Parenthood approach to sex education is not only ineffective in achieving one of their primary goals of reducing teen pregnancies, but apparently their programs may actually increase them!

Dramatic real-world evidence of this in the U.S. was provided when Planned Parenthood was forced to close all 19 of its facilities in the northern part of Texas. State health department records reveal that during the five years that these Planned Parenthood facilities were being phased out, the teen pregnancy rate went down by over 30 percent. In some counties, the teen pregnancy rate declined by more than 50 percent!

Fortunately, in the Arizona situation I mentioned previously, concerned parents who are aware of the dangerous ideas that Planned Parenthood promotes to children, are rallying to oppose any influence the group might have on the curriculum under review.

This Arizona incident should certainly be a wakeup call to parents across the U.S. to be aware of any influence Planned Parenthood might be having on their children. But it should also be instructive for parents and national leaders in the 171 other countries in which IPPF and its affiliates are operating. IPPF is another huge and well-funded organization that receives significant financial support from governments around the world. (Vincenzina Santoro, Main United Nations Representative for the American Family Association of New York, has just completed an excellent analysis of IPPF’s funding and activities. Read it here.)

The threat IPPF poses is evident in its mission statement, which states in part that it is committed to “providing and campaigning for sexual and reproductive health and rights.” The fact that there are no internationally recognized reproductive or sexual “rights” doesn’t stop them as they aggressively advocate for radical sexual rights for children beginning at birth. There is perhaps no better illustration of this than the infamous “Healthy, Happy and Hot” brochure that IPPF and many of its affiliates around the world are distributing to HIV-positive adolescents. Not only does it tell them that they have a “right” to sexual pleasure but that it is completely up to them when or even if they tell their prospective sexual partners that they are HIVpositive!

IPPF even suggests that the laws in many countries that make such an irresponsible action illegal are violating these supposed “rights” to sexual pleasure. Our policy brief on IPPF mentioned above has more details on this and similar dangerous activites. This dangerous and totally irresponsible advice is just one example of how IPPF and its affiliates make the pursuit of their self-proclaimed sexual rights superior to any other concerns, including protecting public health.

There is more than enough evidence and experience with the activities of IPPF and its affiliate organizations around the world to issue a global warning: Wherever and however they are involved in any policy issue or debate, the healthy development of adolescents and essential social and family values are all automatically at risk.

We would encourage you to get the facts about Planned Parenthood by clicking here to see our new policy brief.

We hope that parents and policymakers around the world heed this warning. There is so much at stake.

Sincerely,
Sharon Slater
President
Family Watch International

News Items of Interest

Adoption

Russia Bans Adoption by Single People From Countries Where Same-Sex Marriage is Legal. Russia also has a ban on adoptions by same-sex couples in legal marriages. The country has come under international fire recently due to its laws against dispensing homosexual propaganda to youth. Read more here.

Abortion

Planned Parenthood Recommends Abortions for Valentine’s Day. Capitalizing on a holiday symbolizing love and romance, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards stated that what women really need most for Valentine’s Day is a safe abortion. In the U.S. in 2012 Planned Parenthood provided over 327,000 abortions. Read more here.

New York City Abortion Rate Drops. According to the New York City Summary of Vital Statistics 2012 report, though the city’s abortion rate is nearly double the national average, it reached its lowest point in 2012. Of over 97,000 viable pregnancies, 37 percent ended in abortion. This is a drop of 22 percent since 2000. Read more here.

Tennessee Pharmacist Fired for Refusing to Dispense ‘Morning-after’ Pill. Phillip Hall was fired by his Walgreens store manager after he refused to sell the abortion pill because it violated his religious beliefs. Hall has filed a lawsuit. Read more here.

Federal Court Rules North Carolina’s ‘Choose Life’ License Plate Unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge’s previous ruling that the license plate is unconstitutional because the state doesn’t provide the same forum for individuals on the other side of the issue. Read more here.

Contraceptive Failure and Abortion in the UK. According to data released by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, 66 percent of women undergoing an abortion reported using contraception when they conceived. Of these, 40 percent claim to have been using the pill. Read more here.

Human Sexuality

Uganda President to Sign Homosexual Legislation into Law. President Yoweri Museveni stated he was convinced there was no scientific evidence that homosexuality was genetic or natural. Museveni took time to study the science behind the issue of homosexuality prior to signing the bill. The bill contains a provision that mandates life in prison for “aggravated homosexuality” if an offender is infected with HIV, is a serial offender or engages in sex with minors. Read more here.

California’s Transgender Law Permits Male Student to Play on Girls’ Softball Team. The 17-year-old high school student who believes he is a girl trapped in a boy’s body is allowed to play on the girls’ team because of the change in California state law that went into effect last month. Read more here.

Facebook Now Offers Users 50 Gender Options. The social media giant has added a customizable option for the small minority of individuals who feel they are neither male or female. The new terms include androgynous, bi-gender, intersex, gender fluid or transsexual. Read more here.

European Parliament Passes Lunacek Report Calling for Homosexual Rights. The report requires EU member states to adopt and enforce controversial homosexual rights despite widespread opposition across the continent. Read more here.

Sexual Orientation Therapy Ban Bill Passes Washington House. The bill would prevent health care professionals from providing reorientation therapy for individuals under the age of 18 even if they desire it. The legislation would include efforts to change behaviors, gender expressions or to reduce sexual or romantic attractions toward people of the same sex. Read more here.

Boy Scout Membership Numbers Drop. One year after a policy change that allows openly homosexual scouts to participate in the organization, BSA announced that it has lost six percent of its membership. They point out, however, that there could be other possible reasons contributing to the drop. Read more here.

Court Stays Sexual Orientation Change Therapy Ban Ruling. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has put its decision regarding the banning of sexual orientation change therapy in California on hold until the Supreme Court can weigh in. The ban would prevent medical professionals from providing therapy for minors who experience unwanted same-sex attraction and who want to reorient to heterosexuality. Read more here.

Court Orders Review of London Mayor’s Action in Ex-Gay Bus Advertising Ban. The appeals court ordered a lower court judge to review the actions of Mayor Boris Johnson in banning the bus advertising stating that homosexuals can change. The court cited new communications uncovered that suggest he did it to pander to the homosexual community as part of his reelection campaign. Read more here.

Marriage

U.S. State AGs Unusually Supportive of Legalizing Same-sex Marriage. Attorneys general in five states have declined to defend same-sex marriage bans against lawsuits filed by homosexual couples despite a legal duty to defend the laws of their states. The attorneys general are from Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois and Nevada. Read more here.

Majority of U.S. Teens Live in Broken Homes. According to a report by Family Research Council, 55 percent of 15-17 year olds in America do not live in intact families. The Index of Belonging and Rejection further showed that 40 percent of U.S. children are born out of wedlock. Read more here.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Virginia Ban on Same-sex Marriage. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen compared same-sex marriage to interracial marriage. In 2006 Virginia voters approved bans on same-sex marriage and also on recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The judge stayed her decision pending appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Read more here.

Indiana Same-sex Marriage Amendment Delayed. The Indiana Senate refused to restore a ban on civil unions that had been stripped by the House, which will delay getting the issue to voters by at least two more years. Read more here.

Record Number of American Women Marrying Down. According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, educated women are marrying men who are less educated than they are. Nearly 21 percent of married women in 2012 were better educated than their spouses. Read more here.

Judge Rules Kentucky Must Recognize Same-sex Marriages Performed in Other States. U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II ruled in favor of four Kentucky same-sex couples who sued the state last year. Kentucky amended its state constitution in 2004 to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Read more here.

Religious Groups Join in Marriage Battle. A coalition of religious organizations is urging a federal appeals court to uphold same-sex marriage bans in Utah and Oklahoma. An amicus brief was written by lawyers for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod signed on. Read more here. For an explanation about the content of the brief read more here.

Scottish Parliament Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill. By a vote of 105 to 18 the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill was passed by MSPs. Scotland’s two main churches opposed the legislation. Churches cannot be forced to hold same-sex ceremonies. Read more here.

Attorney General Holder Stretches Homosexual Marriage Ruling. Holder has directed the Justice Department to treat all legally married homosexuals for all purposes related to his department’s activities as legally married regardless of whether the state in which they reside recognizes homosexual marriage. Critics claim that he is exceeding the recent Supreme Court ruling on the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Read more here.

Homosexual Marriage Splitting U.S. Methodists. One faction of the clergy performing same-sex marriage is pitted against another that is trying to preserve the doctrinal position of the church prohibiting same-sex unions. Read more here.

UK Government Report Proves Benefits of Marital Counseling. The report by the Department of Education found that premarital counseling and marriage counseling returns benefits to costs at a ratio of 11 to 1. Read more here.

Research Shows Differing Brain Responses For Married and Cohabiting Couples. Researchers used MRI technology to monitor the brain response of people when experiencing a mild electric shock and found that married couples were better able to cope with the negative stimulus than co-habiting couples. Read more here.

General Interest

FDA to Consider Three-Parent Embryos. The procedure could prevent the passage of genetic disorders from mother to child. The procedure is highly controversial and is being opposed by numerous organizations. Read more here.

Belgian Lawmakers Approve Child Euthanasia Bill. The measure will allow the lives of terminally ill children to be terminated. The King of Belgium is expected to sign the bill into law making Belgium the first country to lift all age restrictions on legal, medically induced deaths. Read more here.

The UN Assault on the Catholic Church. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released a report on the Holy See, a Permanent Observer at the UN. The committee calls on the Vatican to drop its opposition to abortion, contraception, homosexual behavior and to bring its positions more in line with the views of the UN. Read more here.

Opinion and Analysis Worth Noting

In her blog post, “Yes, Father Absence Causes the Problems it’s Associated With,” Anna Sutherland summarizes a meta-analysis of 47 studies which underscore the importance of fathers to the optimal development of their children. Read it here.

Pediatrician Dr. Michelle Cretella documents the facts that refute the arguments of those who want to ban Sexual Orientation Change Effort therapy for adolescents in her column, “Shouldn’t same-sex attracted adolescents be given a chance to change?” Read it here.

In her column, “Russia, Gay Rights and the Protection of Children,” Carolyn Moynihan cuts through the misrepresentations of much of the media and homosexual activists about the Russian law prohibiting homosexual activists from propagandizing adolescents and lays out the rationale behind the law. Read it here.

In “Income Mobility Tied to Marriage” Collette Caprara explains that “Growing research has revealed that socioeconomic differences in America are often rooted in family structure” and that “As the stability of the family has deteriorated in America, parents’ financial well-being has suffered, and their children’s future prospects have eroded.” Read more here.

Openly homosexual columnist Doug Manwaring explains in his column, “Manufacturing Consent on Same Sex Marriage,” why he is opposed to the “notion of same-sex marriage and the engineering of children for same-sex couples.” Read more here.

Dennis Prager in his column, “Judges, Hubris and Same-sex Marriage,” examines the implications of arrogance of activist federal judges who are ignoring the overwhelming will of the people to overturn state constitution marriage amendments. Read more here.

Have We Gone MAD?

In this section we highlight some of the recent news items that truly make us wonder if the world has gone mad.

University Requires Students to Participate in ‘Condom Olympics.’ Students taking the “Sex, Health, and AIDS” class were required to plan a school-wide event that included a condom-wrapped egg toss, condom art, and a condom scavenger hunt. Read more here.

‘Abuse-free’ Child Pornography Advertised in Spain. A poster at a bus stop promoting pedophilia without abuse was removed from the locked glass case in which it was displayed in Barcelona, Spain. The poster bore the word “Freedom” in large letters over the image of a young semi-naked girl. The text of the ad said, “Send us naked photos of when you were a child. For child pornography without abuse. +18 Yes to Pedophilia. No to Abuse.” The ad was removed when it was reported to the city council. Read more here.

Kansas Middle School Displays Poster Encouraging High Risk Sexual Behavior. The sexually explicit poster used in a middle school sex-ed class asked, “How do people express their sexual feelings?” It then listed numerous sexual acts, all of which are extremely inappropriate for middle school-aged children. Initially a district spokesperson defended the poster as part of the approved curriculum, but the poster was later removed. Read more here.

Parents Raise Son as Both a Boy and a Girl. The one-year-old boy is dressed in both boy clothing and girl clothing to avoid “gender stereotyping.” The parents are committed to “gender neutral parenting” claiming that gender stereotypes “can be so damaging.” Read more here.